1. Field of the Invention
The general technical field of the invention is that of synthetic vision systems, known by the acronym SVS, used more particularly in aeronautics to present piloting or navigation information to the pilot in the most ergonomic possible way. In the present case, the graphic representation concerns the display of the final destination.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The SVS-type display devices provide the pilot with a better awareness of the surrounding hazards such as collisions with the ground with no loss of control, commonly called CFIT which stands for “Controlled Flight Into Terrain”. CFITs are the leading cause of catastrophic civilian airplane accidents. The aeronautical industry focuses its efforts on means for reducing them or even finally eliminating them. Generally, the SVS systems display a synthetic terrain and the natural obstacles or human constructions in perspective. Thus, the pilot has the most realistic possible perception of the external landscape. Conventionally, the SVS data are displayed on a screen which is commonly called PFD, standing for “Primary Flight Display”.
For certain applications, it is very important for the pilot to be very certain of his final destination. In practice, in some cases, in particular in rescue operations carried out by small aircraft or helicopters, the pilot needs to be able to easily and rapidly find the final landing zone, which may be located in areas that are difficult to access such as mountain areas or dense forests. For air work in equatorial forests, this landing zone for a helicopter may be only an area where a few trees have been previously cut down. At low overflight altitude, it is therefore almost impossible to identify this area. The system according to the invention provides a way of displaying on the SVS the final destination to which the aircraft pilot must go in an extremely intuitive and ergonomic manner. The invention enables the pilot to be better directed by being aware of the direction that he must follow and to better view the goal to be reached and its environment by correlating the view originating from the SVS and the external environment. The pilot's workload is thus reduced and his stress is lessened. Furthermore, this representation provides the pilot with crucial landing data, namely the direction and speed of the wind and the inclination of the terrain. This last item of information is very important for helicopter pilots who must always place the nose of their gradient craft towards the top of the slope in order to safeguard the tail and the anti-torque rotor of the craft.